We’ve reached day 300 of the year, and so far I’ve read 153 books. It’s less than I normally read in a year, but hey-ho what do you do? Since my last post, I’ve read a few MF books and reread some old favorites. Here are some of my top picks from the last fifty days!
Save the Game by J.J. Mulder
I don’t normally read books set in school. I like my characters to be properly grown up, but I enjoyed this.
After a traumatizing event and rough sophomore year, Max Kuemper does his best to keep his head down and not draw attention to himself. School and hockey are the only two things he can handle; it’s all he can do to keep himself afloat. He wants to forget about what happened to him and bring the secret to his grave.
Confident and flirty Luke Kelly likes to play the field—dating as well as baseball. When he meets Max during a night shift at work, he takes an instant liking to him, despite the other man’s reserved exterior and shy personality.
But secrets have a way of coming to light, and both Max and Luke will have to come to terms with what that means for their relationship.
Pistols and Plush Toys by D. Dove
I’ve seen this recommended several times, so I figured I should read it. I kinda liked it.
Being the son of the head of the Russian mafia means that Nikolai has learned from a young age how to be hard. Ruthless. And with the Italians taking liberties on his turf, he knows he has to send a strong message. If that message has to come from Elliot Brooks, Mattia Vitale’s sobbing boyfriend, tied up in an abandoned warehouse, then so be it.
But Nikolai is not a cruel man. And as he learns that being Mattia’s lover might not have been… easy for Elliot, Nikolai starts to treat Elliot with a softer touch…
Pistols & Plush Toys has a 3 dove rating for some on-page SA and DV (not overly graphic and not between MCs), gaslighting, manipulation, food issues, trauma, mafia-typical violence, hurt/comfort, and plushophilia. It has a guaranteed happily ever after.
Pyhk by Eileen Glass
A couple of years ago, I read the first book in this series, and while I didn’t dislike it, I didn’t continue the series. Then I saw a post on FB where someone was raving about this series, so I read the other books. I enjoyed them!
Carter isn’t sure what to call his two alien protectors. Friends? Boyfriends? Mates?
Or merely indiscriminate lovers with sexy purrs and tangling tails?
He would be lost without them, he knows that. When their home is invaded by a dangerous new kind of alien slaver, they strike out into the jungle. He depends on them for food, protection, a direction to walk in. He’s helpless even for shelter and warmth.
Thankfully, his alien lovers seem devoted, but why? Carter wishes he knew their names or anything else. Like whether the attachment he’s feeling is returned.
With aliens, you can’t make assumptions.
Wouldn’t it be nice if he could just ask?
Sometimes you’ve just got to flip your big dumb alien onto his stomach and teach him a thing about masculinity.
It’s not how much you’ve got — it’s how you use it.
Finally, everything is going good for Carter. He’s not a slave. He has a roof over his head. He’s fixed his alien language translator and now can talk to Pykh and Siel, his protectors.
Thankfully, they aren’t promiscuous alien hillbillies. They’re loyal men who love him, and Carter loves them back. Our space marine is ready to settle into a new life on the fleaf’akhie planet and be happy.
But now there’s another problem. On this planet… he’s the girl?
And not just any girl, but a pale, delicate, exotic princess who must be bowed to, courted, and entertained with poems.
What’s a tough space marine to do, being treated like this?
Setting them straight would be easy, and Carter does come clean to his hopeful fathers to be, but now a golden-armored general brings a carriage to take him away to safety. Carter must play along with the princess act, or he and his new family may be turned away at the gates.
Carter is the Omega from the Stars.
He’s magical (probably). Beautiful (definitely). And his exotic name is difficult to pronounce. He’s either going to save the fleaf’akhie home world from invaders, or he’s an invader himself in disguise, sneaking into the city!
One thing is for sure: he chose his mates for battle, not love. Siel is a fabled war hero, fierce and capable. And Pykh? He’s the muscle of the group. The brainless barbarian can’t even count coins. He’s a wild-man from who-knows-where.
How can such a family ever conform to fleaf’akhie society? How can Council Leader Ruahyr let such a dangerous group past the gate?
Well, he’s seven months pregnant with a fleaf’akhie child, so someone has to let him in…
Wandering in Darkness by Alice Winters
This is the fourth story in the In Darkness series, and I did reread the first three before I read this, but I’ve posted them so many times already, so I figured I’d skip posting them this time around.
Himbo Hitman by Saxon James
This one made me laugh.
What do you do when you’re a hit man … who’s terrible at his job?
At first, I thought it would be an easy payday. A few pew pews for bad people, a couple of suitcases of cash for me. People have done worse for an honest living. Probably.
The problem is that after a couple of jobs, I’ve never actually managed to unalive someone, and not for lack of trying. Apparently, a basic requirement of a hitman is being a good shot.
Despite my constant duck-ups—that my boss knows nothing about—I’m given another name, and I very nearly follow through. Only after obliterating this guy’s ear and his fervent pleading to spare him, I’ve sent him into hiding and collected the cash anyway.
But wanted people are hard to hide, and bad guys don’t like paying big money for loose ends.
Now that Van Gogh has shown his face again—sans ear—I’ve scammed my way into his security team, which is sort of ideal since I’m now highly wanted as well.
Unfortunately, we have some “trust issues” to “work through” from our meet-shoot, and with the gorgeous bastard’s brother missing, he refuses to lay low until they’re reunited.
I’m not sold on the plan, honestly, but this guy has me questioning my sexuality along with my career path, and I’m at the point where I’m determined to see a job through to the end.
Or die trying.
But hey, at least then I’d finally deliver a body.
Sem by Cora Rose
This is another book I’ve seen recommended several times, so I decided to read it. I don’t regret it!
Sometimes your dream guy isn’t who you think he is.
Sem has been stalking me for months. He shows up everywhere I am and lurks in the background, his eyes always on me. I don’t understand his fascination with me, but he won’t leave me alone.
He’s definitely not my type. He’s too big, too reckless, and too feral.
But then one night he breaks into my apartment and dares me to do something crazy and I can’t say no.
Then I do it again. And again.
Now it seems we’re both addicted to this secret little game.
But when I begin to see the man beneath the brutish exterior, will falling in love prove to be the most reckless bet yet?
Clemenza Family by Leighton Greene
I don’t normally read dark romance, but I saw someone talk about this series and figured why not. I almost quit it at the beginning of the first book, but I didn’t have the energy to search for a new book to read, so I continued. Then I was hooked and read them all LOL.
I used to be a mafia prince. Now I’m marked as prey.
Someone is systematically eliminating my Family bloodline, and I’m the last heir standing.
No money.
No allies.
No way out…except one.
An underground auction where the wealthy and the wicked bid on desperate, untouched men like me.
I expect to be sold to a stranger. Used and discarded.
Instead, I’m bought by a man with a two-decades-long vendetta against my dead father. A beast who drops ten million dollars to own me, then drags me home to a prison he built just for me.
He wants vengeance. He wants to break me. But I’m not as easy to break as he expects.
And when danger follows me into his territory, he becomes something I never expected.
A protector.
A possessor.
He keeps me safe, even while he keeps me caged.
I’m starting to think the most dangerous thing isn’t being owned by him.
It’s wanting him to keep me…
I escaped the beast who bought me at auction. I thought I could take my throne back alone. I was wrong.
I only have one option left.
Go back to the beast.
But this time, I have a muzzle for the monster.
A choke-chain to bring him to heel.
I’ll use him. Control him. Pray that he’ll keep me alive long enough to take what’s mine.
But every night I’m under his roof, the line between strategy and surrender gets thinner. And every fight ends the same way: with his hand at my throat and me begging him not to stop.
He bought me.
He chained me.
He’s still the only thing standing between me and whoever wants me dead.
Losing him would end me.
But letting him break me might be worse.
For twenty-one years he hated my Family. Vengeance was what kept him breathing. I was the debt he came to collect.
He bought me to avenge his father.
Kept me in the dark.
Broke me down to pieces.
Now he’d slaughter anyone who touches me.
There’s a bounty on my bloodline—and now there’s a price on his head, too.
He turned his back on his Family to put himself between me and the grave.
My enemy became my protector.
The only man I trust.
But even if we survive what’s coming, I’m not sure we’ll survive what comes after.
When we’re left alone with the truth…and each other.
Nothing on this earth gets to take him from me.
Not our enemies. Not the truth. Not even the beast himself.
He’s never begged for anything.
He’ll beg for me.
Falling for the Felid by Louisa Masters
Books by Louisa Masters are always fun.
Secrets like mine aren’t compatible with love… so why am I falling for a felid shifter?
I’ve never watched a hockey game in my life, so being assigned as the liaison to the Warhammers, the local Community of Species Hockey League team, is the last thing I want. Worse, that’s the team Felix Ansas plays for. How do I build a good working relationship when one of the star players hates me?
Not that I blame him. I did accuse him of some pretty awful stuff, and now I need his cooperation if I’m going to fulfil my promises to my king.
I’m not the only one with something to prove. Felix needs to impress his new coach with his team spirit, and teaching me about hockey is his solution. Me and Felix, alone together? Hello, disaster.
Except… it’s not. Felix is a lot more complex than I thought, and I find myself wishing for things that can’t happen. Like sharing my own past. Like a future together.
But if the truth comes out, everything between us will shatter.
Wilde Contracts by Maz Maddox
I’ve read these before, but I suck at reading blurbs, and I didn’t realize it was an MMM series, so I was a bit annoyed with the main character running off to be with someone other than his vampire. So now I reread it with the proper expectations LOL.
Wilde Contract Killing and Fish Training, how can I help you?
Murder contract? Piece of cake.
Find a jinn? No problem.
New necromancy powers while being followed by an unwanted vampire bodyguard?
Not so much.
I’m trained to handle all manner of undead, so I was able to take down a powerful necromancer without breaking a sweat. Okay, that’s a lie – there was tons of sweat, but I was victorious all the same.
Unfortunately, killing a necromancer comes with some repercussions.
Broody, annoying, vampire repercussions and new abilities to resurrect the dead.
Can I navigate a blood-sucking bodyguard, new powers, feelings for an attractive client and still handle this contract in time to pay my very, very late rent – all before I get super murdered in the process?
Let’s hope so.
A necromancer, an incubus and a vampire walk into a bar….
My life’s one bad joke after another.
I’m in a race against time to steal a Death Goddess’s key before it falls into the wrong hands. There’s also a good chance the ruthless family I left behind are hot on my heels—and vying for the very same key that I’m planning to destroy.
Saving the world is tricky enough, but doing it while chronically broke is another thing entirely. I don’t have time to worry about paying my rent—even if I am late. Yet again.
And I don’t have time for romance, even if my heart has other ideas. Especially when it comes to a beautiful but distant incubus, and a vampire bodyguard I have no business finding attractive…
Talk about complicated.
But the clock’s ticking. Somehow, I’ve got to steal the key, avoid my family, and figure out my love life before things go to hell in a hand-basket.
Oh, and I need to stay alive. Can’t forget that.
All I’ve got are my shaky necromancy powers, an awkward sense of humor in the face of danger, and an empty wallet to assist me.
Piece of cake…right?
You promised you could always find me…
Zane’s death lingers like a bad dream. I’ve been searching for months, but I can’t find him in the void. The jerk vampire died on me just as things were getting nice and complicated between us.
Meanwhile, true nightmares have been terrorizing the city. Death magic is ripping tears in reality, destroying my home, and threatening to swallow the world in darkness. If my necromancy powers hadn’t been stolen by an overly ambitious vitamin villain, I’d be able to tackle the void tears with my classic Wilde flair.
That is, if I could focus on saving the city from ruin.
I’m tangled up in hurt and heartache. Not just for my lost vampire, but for the protective and seductive incubus waiting in the wings.
With the city on the verge of chaos, my heart in shambles, and my powers stolen, I have to somehow keep my world from spiraling out of control.
But first? I’m saving my vampire.
In the Eye of the Beholder by Dianna Roman
This is the second book in the Broken Hearts series. I read the first some time ago, so when I stumbled upon this one, I grabbed it.
The highly anticipated follow-on to Until I Saw You.
Daniel Ellis trusts no one and love, even less. His longstanding commitment to self-reliance backfires when a series of events finds an unlikely savior offering him assistance at every turn. How can the aggravating widower who’s sat at the end of his bar the past few years be his knight in shining armor?
Reluctantly taking a job as Eric Jordan’s assistant becomes more than just a means of safe haven. Working for his aloof bar patron broadens Daniel’s perspectives, threatening to tear down every wall he’s built around his heart as he begins to learn more about a man he’s always purposely ignored. All Daniel wanted was to hide from the trouble that’s following him, not have the rest of his world turned upside down by the wealthy older man who ends up being nothing he expected and everything he didn’t realize he might need.
Pretty Broken Doll by Bree Wiley
I liked this one!
Beauty isn’t always whole.
Shilo
I’ve always been the outcast—awkward, invisible, a loser. My pet rat and my computer are my only friends. I’ve accepted the fact that I’ll probably die a lonely virgin—until I pick up the hottest man I’ve ever met for a ride home.
An impulsive invitation, a strange encounter. He’s way out of my league. Then he tosses me out, sending me back into the hole I’d crawled out from.
I didn’t think I’d ever see him again—until I walk into my new job two months later.
Turns out, he’s my new boss.
Ryann
My life is an endless cycle of work, sleep, and meaningless hookups. It’s been this way since I gave up my college dreams fifteen years ago.
One reckless decision—a disappointing fling with a stranger—shouldn’t matter. But when that stranger walks into my office two months later, everything I’ve built begins to crumble.
Because now he’s not just a stranger.
He’s my new employee.
And my twin is dating his sister.
Higher Demon by Louisa Masters
As mentioned before, I don’t really read blurbs, so I believed these would be about the demons in the Hidden Species words, but nope! It doesn’t matter. I enjoyed it!
No matter the demon, the hunter’s role is clear…
A thousand years ago, my great-something uncle founded the Collective, a secret organization dedicated to protecting humanity from demons. The hunter tradition has been passed down over the generations, from parent to child, secure in the knowledge that the Collective is a community of safety and knowledge.
But betrayal sucks, and six years ago, it turned my world—and the Collective—upside down. After generations of deception, the hunters left behind are picking up the pieces and trying something we’ve never done before—working side by side with our enemy.
Demons, just to be clear. They’re apparently “misunderstood,” but the jury is still out on that. And I—a twentysomething archivist with an addiction to hoodies—somehow ended up as liaison to the demon ambassador.
If it sounds like a nightmare, that’s because it is. The demon ambassador is a stuck-up, pretentious twat… not to mention he could kill me with a thought. Worst of all, he’s getting under my skin in ways I never expected. But I’m the only hunter who doesn’t actively want to kill him, so… tag, I’m it.
I’ve already been betrayed by those I should have been able to trust the most. How hard can hanging out with a higher demon be?
Seth & Raider by Katherine Diane
I really enjoyed the first story in this, but in all honesty, I skimmed the sex scenes in the second one. The story was interesting, and I liked the characters, the myths, the environment, and so on, but yeah… a bit too many sex scenes in the second one for my liking.
The only thing worse than trekking across a dangerous desert on a nearly impossible mission? When your guide is intolerable—and irresistible.
Seth spends his days hunting down mystical artifacts. As a Curator for the Arcanum College, that’s his job. But when an arcanist murders a fellow scholar, Seth finds himself assigned instead to a dusty, thirsty, frustrating manhunt. But why him? Because, he’s been told by his superiors, he’s the only Curator sufficiently tenacious and brutal for the job. (Seth resents that.)
When the murderer vanishes at the edge of a deadly desert, Seth finds himself in need of a guide. Unfortunately, the “only one crazy enough” for the job is Raider—a man with an easy grin who is clearly a thief, liar, and rogue. (He also has illegal quicksilver in his veins, and that arcane enhancement positively screams “I’ve done bad things.”) The only thing worse than having to rely on such a reprobate? Finding him irresistibly attractive.
Raider might think the manhunt a foolish endeavor, but he’s delighted by the prospect of breaking past the barriers of the gorgeous, rigidly self-controlled Curator. That kind of intensity needs the right outlet (and Raider has such ideas). But Raider just might be asking for more trouble than he realizes—because he has barriers of his own, and some very dark secrets lurking behind them.
But that’s not the only trouble looming. Because if Seth and Raider can survive their desert journey? Seth’s manhunt will lead them into even greater dangers and mysteries.
The revelations about Raider’s past have turned Seth’s simple manhunt into a complicated mess. He’s stepped into a tangled web of arcane mysteries and political machinations. As an experienced Curator for the Arcanum College, he can handle that. What he can’t quite handle is his feelings for Raider. There’s love—gods, he can’t deny that—but Raider’s lies have made a mess of Seth’s heart, his principles—and everything else. Because Raider himself is at the very center of this tangled web.
Raider has been running from his past for ten years. (And what was wrong with that? A strong cup of raaki, a bit of music, a gorgeously scowling Curator—what more could anyone want?) The past, however, has finally caught up with him. And if Raider wants to keep his gorgeously scowling Curator alive and well, he’s going to have to face those old nightmares—because he and Seth need each other.
Only together can they navigate the treacherous court of Empress Zarina. Only together can they survive a dangerous new mission that will take them deep into the unknown reaches of the Sands, where mythical creatures and ancient mysteries await.
Silver & Gold concludes the high-heat fantasy adventure begun in Silk & Sand. Get ready for more fabulous locations and deeper, darker secrets. And of course, all the action, humor, and sexy intensity that only these two gorgeous, complicated, irresistible men can deliver.
